Tuesday, February 26, 2008

I forgot to update everyone on Friday. All of Brandon's labs came back normal, so he is doing great. He is also doing really well with the 4 ounce bottles every 4 hours or so. We have pretty much completely transitioned him over to formula and so far so good. He hasn't had anymore vomiting incidents and doesn't appear to be getting too gassy or constipated from the formula either. So, it looks like we are in the clear!!! Yay!!! It is SO hard to believe that he will be a month old on Wednesday!!! He is getting so big already!!! He has started smiling a little here and there. I will post pictures of him smiling as soon as I can catch one! lol He's quick, so it's hard to get a good picture. That's about it for now. Take care everyone!!!

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

I had my 2 week check up today! I am actually 3 weeks old, but that’s ok. My doctor had alot to say about me. My neck is a little kinked from being cramped in Mommy’s tummy, I have a hydrocele, I have a hernia in my belly button, and my eyes are a little clogged. My neck, hydrocele, and belly button will heal on their own. Mommy has to put drops in my eyes to help them unclog. Yesterday I threw up and Mommy and Daddy took me to the ER. I had an ultrasound done to my belly to make sure I didn’t have pyloric stenosis. Thank goodness everything came back looking normal. I had to have a bunch of labwork done, and all of that came back normal too. I have grown alot too!!! I am 11 pounds and 23 inches long!!!

Hello everyone!! We have had a VERY busy couple of days!!! As some of you know, we have been transitioning Brandon over to formula. We started with one feeding a day of formula and after a day or two, we increased it by another feeding. We were up to three formula bottles a day, and he was taking between 4 and 5 ounces a bottle!!! He was doing great for about a week. Well, yesturday he projectile vomited after his afternoon feeding. It flew from the coffee table, to the couch!!! It really had some air to it. Anyway, we called the 24 hour nurse line to see if there was anything that we should look for, and she recommended that we take him to the ER to make sure that he wasn't dehydrated. So, we took him in and they said that he looked great, but they scheduled us for an ultrasound on his tummy to make sure that he didn't have a condition called pyloric stenosis. From what I gather, the condition is caused by a weak connection of the stomach to the small intestine and the remedy is surgery. We came home thinking that it was probably a fluke, and were suprised when he projectile vomited again after his evening bottle. So, then, we were really worried. We weren't sure if he was vomiting because his stomach doesn't agree with the formula, he was eating too much at one sitting (he was taking between 5-6 ounces last night), or he had a virus. Brian and I didn't sleep at all last night because we were so afraid that he would throw up and ingest it into his lungs. We went in for the ultrasound this morning and got the results at his 2 week check up (even though he is really 3 weeks today). The ultrasound came back negative for pyloric stenosis, but they suspect that he may have a little acid reflux. The pediatrician also noticed a few other problems. He has a cogenital defect in his neck from being so big and cramped in such a small space for so long. It will be corrected, but will require a little physical therapy. He also has a hydroseal, which is a pocket of fluid on the testicle. Apparently, it isn't anything to be concerned about because the body will reabsorb the fluid. However, you have to be careful with hydroseals because they can hide herias. So, we have to keep an eye on it and make sure that it doesn't get bigger. He also has a hernia on his belly button, which is also completely normal and will also correct itself. The only thing the pediatrician was concerned about was the vomiting. She recommended feeding him smaller portions more frequently using the same formula that we had been feeding him. If he projectile vomits again, we are to take him to the ER and he will have to be admitted and have an upper GI test done to see if they can figure out why he is vomiting. If he spits up, but it isn't projectile then we are to swtitch him to soy formula and see if that helps. Tomorrow he has his audiology appointment and he has to have a bunch of labwork done. He has to have a couple of blood tests, a urinalysis, and an electrolyte panel done. Then, we have an appointment with the pediatrician on Friday to follow up on the lab results and more importantly to check how he is eating. So far, so good though. He ate a 2 ounce bottle and hasn't thrown up yet. That was almost an hour ago, so it is looking good. I must say that having a sick baby and trying to figure out all of this formula stuff is NOT fun!!! I just Brandon to be his usual happy self. I will post an update on Friday with the lab results and any more info that I am given.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

I have a few minutes while Brandon is sleeping and I am waiting to make a phone call, so I figured I'd post a little update.

Brandon is 2 weeks and 1 day old!!! He has lost his umbilical cord stump, and his plasti-bell circumcision thingy. So, he is free from all of the attachments from the hospital. We started tummy time to give him the opportunity to strengthen his neck muscles and hold his head up. He can hold his head up for a few seconds, but gets tired easily. At his WIC appointment the other day, he weighed 10 pounds 11 ounces, so he is gaining weight beautifully. We are still mostly breasfeeding, but I am just NOT having a good time with it, so we are gradually switching over to formula. We started the transition yesturday and will substitute one feeding a day with formula for a few days and gradually add another formula feeding until he is completely on formula. It makes me sad to stop, but I just can't do it anymore. It is very draining on me and causes me alot of anxiety which I am sure that he can pick up on. He has his 2 week check up on the 19 (even though he will be 3 weeks) and I will post an update after that appointment to share his weight and length and anything else that is neat.

As for me, I am hanging in there! I had a few rough days having some panic attacks which sucked. I think that it was mostly due to such a huge adjustment, plus my mom went back to the states. It is rough having a newborn. I wouldn't trade him for anything, but I can say that I am looking forward to him sleeping through the night!! I am quite attached to my sleep, and newborns make that virtually impossible. He doesn't get up too much though. Usually, it is every 4 hours or so, but last night after giving him his first formula bottle he slept for 8 hours straight!!! THEN, he woke up, got a diaper change, nursed a little, and went back to sleep for another three hours!! It was GREAT!!! Hopefully he will keep that up!! Brian and I were LOVING getting 8 hours of sleep. Although, for me the sleep was broken because I kept waking up to check on him. It was still nice to sleep for so long before having to get up and take care of him. Oh, AND...I am 10 pounds UNDER my pre-pregnancy weight!!! WOOHOO!!!! My pre-pregnancy jeans fit, and they actually fit better than before I was pregnant. That's awesome news!!! I was pleasantly suprised when I put them on for the first time today. I did a little happy dance and called Brian into the room to show him. Heh, it was great.

Brian is doing great too. He is absolutely the best dad EVER!!! He gets up everynight and changes Brandon's diaper and gives him to me to feed. He will take Brandon in the mornings and let me sleep for an extra hour or two. He will hold Brandon when he is fussy, and loves to play with him anytime of the day. I really couldn't ask for a better husband. It makes me so proud to be his wife and also so grateful to have such a wonderful husband and father for our son.

Emily and Kitters are adjusting. They are getting much less attention, but I know that will change once a real rountine is established with Brandon. Right now, we do everything on Brandon's time. They seem to be understanding for the most part, but every now and then will get really clingy. I try to make it a point to cuddle with them a little everyday. I'm sure that things will mellow out a bit in the next couple of weeks.

That's about it on the Hays homefront. We are hanging in there and taking in one day at a time. We are loving spending so much time with Brandon and watching him develop a little personality already. We can't wait to see him smile and hear him laugh. Oh what fun we have in store!!! Anyways, I better get to making that phone call and get myself to bed since I sleep when Brandon sleeps!! We love and miss you all!!!!

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Brandon is 1 week old today! I swear it seems like it has been so long since he was born, yet it seems like it was yesturday all at the same time. He is doing great. When we were discharged from the hospital on Thursday, he was slightly jaundiced, so we had to have his levels checked on Friday. His levels had gone from 10.5 to 12. The pediatrician wasn't worried, but wanted us to have his level rechecked Monday at his 5 day check up. On Monday at his appointment his level had gone from 12 to 8.4, so all is well with that. He has lost about 4% of his birth weight, which is excellent considering it is perfectly normal for them to lose weight after birth, they just don't like to see them lose more than 10%. We've been having some trouble with breastfeeding, but we are being persistant and he is latching better and better everyday. It still hurts, but not nearly as bad. My milk came in about 3 days after he was born, so that's great as well. He sleeps great and usually only wakes us up once a night to be changed and fed. His schedule pretty much consists of waking up, Dad changes his diaper, Mom feeds him, and he goes back to sleep. In the afternoon/evening he will stay awake a little and we play with him and snuggle him. He is a delight and we fall more and more in love with him everyday. My mom, Allan, and Heather have been visiting since Friday and they have been an AMAZING help!!! It's going to be sad to say goodbye to them this Friday. Brian's parents fly in on Friday and will be here for 2 weeks, so they will get to meet the little guy and help out. It's great to have so much help right now. We had portraits done yesturday and I will post them tomorrow when I get the disc. They are adorable and I can't wait to share them with everyone. Well, that's it for now. I hope that you are all doing great!!!